The following questions asked of me come mostly courtesy of Chris Hall of Luna’s on line, who was asked the same set by Sadje of Keep it Alive. However, although eleven questions were agreed to and specified in Chris’ post, there were actually only ten. So I used a random question generator to make an eleventh one. ;-)

They’re good questions, and I had fun answering them! In cases of questions with potentially wide or subjective answers, I’ve kept the focus on my writing.

I hope you enjoy what became a neat little author Q&A about me. :-)

What made you start blogging?

I originally started a blog called Aethereal Engines, with it intended to be a motivator to me keep writing and a way to share my fiction. I posted flash fiction, and serialized short stories and novelettes there.

It was a good start and many good things sprang from it, including Aethereal Engineer. My initial intent in starting it as a second blog was that I wanted a place to blog about my writing process, life and inspirations without jumbling it all with my fiction.

Engineer quickly overtook Engines in popularity, and soon became my blogging flagship. Truth be told, although I produced what I feel were steadily improving stories for Aethereal Engines, I came to the conclusion that a blog format isn’t a good fit for anything other than flash fiction. So I folded that site last year and transferred the duties of “online story archive” to my author’s site, jasonhabbott.com.

Do your friends and family support you in this?

As in my writing? Yes, my wife is the best partner an indie author trying to get himself out there could ask for! Not only is she my number-one cheerleader and shoulder to lean on, but she’s also got professional backgrounds in graphic and web design, proofreading and typesetting. Add to that her voracious reading habits and understanding of the genres I love to write, and I’m super fortunate. :-)

I can say the same about fortune in regards to many friends in the writing community that support me with understanding, advice, editing help and beta reading. I try to be there for them and provide the same!

Which is your favorite time of the day?

Any time I can write or be creative. I don’t really have a preferred time to write, although I enjoy getting started in the morning if I can. However, when I write is largely dictated by my schedule and availability: Because I work a day job to pay the bills, I’m frequently a night-writing owl and weekend warrior.

What would be your dream vacation?

I’d love to tour Japan.

What genre of movies do you like best?

I have broad tastes, but anything under the umbrellas of fantasy and science fiction are usually a soft sell to me.

Although it isn’t a genre, I am a fan of many Japanese movies. The films of Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki are some of my absolute favorites, and big influences on me. And Godzilla has been by hero since I was five: I’ve seen every Godzilla film to date, and many other lesser known examples of Daikaiju Eiga (which is a film genre).

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Writing wise, I’m a slow writer that doesn’t pound out astounding volumes of content overnight. I edit as I go, which is something most authors don’t do and is part of my slow pace, but it’s how I like to write.

However — because I’m organizing, revising and editing all along the way — my completed first drafts tend to be clean and strong, more like a second or third draft compared to the first drafts of many authors I’ve worked with on edits. This starts my editing and revising off on good footing, and I have a very positive relationship with that side of the process.

Are you an emotional person?

Absolutely. To write fiction requires a good grasp of at least several emotions… and the more you know well, the better. Even more key is an ability to translate them into words, and emotional pacing and timing between the lines. A cultivated sense of empathy will serve a writer greatly as well.

Personally, I strive to preserve my capacity of wonder and to be awed every day.

What kind of music do you like to listen to?

I run a weekly feature on my blog devoted the musical genre of “Epic Music”. It’s something that I listen to frequently, and the genre is largely production music descended from classical and movie scores, electronica, and various fusions and hybrids with other music genres.

I’ve loved orchestral film scores since I was a kid, and I’d call many of those “Epic” as well. But when I’m writing, the music of a favorite film can be distracting unless it closely matches what I want to feel and write. Epic Music is like having the beauty of film score without it tethered to the memory of a film. It’s a soundtrack for a blank canvas, where I write the scenes for it. :-)

Beyond the epic stuff, I have broad tastes. My first novel currently in revisions, Vivian’s Last Cigarette, utilizes music (frequently punk music of the 70s and 80s) as a central motif and points of plot. My soundtracks for those writing sessions can be wild: mixing modern epic music, 80s movie scores, Punk like The Sex Pistols,Ramones, Misfits and Dead Kennedys with splats of Heavy Metal and John Denver.

What motivates you in life and writing?

A desire to create, inspire, and instill emotion. To give the world stories, and see them live beyond me in others.

What sort of friend are you to your pals?

I’m the friend that entertains and likes to hear you laugh. I’m the one that will listen and is liberal with hugs if you want and/or need them. I can be the quiet one working in solitude for a long time, but a single call for aid brings me to your doorstep.

Cool to learn more about you, Jason. I’m an edit as I go writer too (except during NaNo). I like coming out of the first draft with a third draft. :-D. And I’m so glad you have a wonderfully supportive spouse. That makes a writer’s life so much easier. :-)

Thank you, Diana! Kim has got my back, I can always count on her and if not for her encouragement and support I wouldn’t be where I am today. She changed the game for me, and as you know a wonderful spouse is a powerful ally.

Glad to know you edit on the go like I do, you’re the first writer I know that does so besides myself! And you’ve got it pegged: my first drafts are like a third too. :-)